Light-harvesting biohybrids for enhanced solar-to-chemical conversion technologies

Photosynthesis combines solar energy capture and conversion to power oxygenic water splitting and carbon fixation. Integral to its success are protein-pigment complexes highly adapted over billions of years. In this issue of Chem, Cesana et al. create a photosynthetic biohybrid complex that utilizes energy from light to power challenging catalytic reactions. Photosynthesis combines solar energy capture and conversion to power oxygenic water splitting and carbon fixation. Integral to its success are protein-pigment complexes highly adapted over billions of years. In this issue of Chem, Cesana et al. create a photosynthetic biohybrid complex that utilizes energy from light to power challenging catalytic reactions. A biohybrid strategy for enabling photoredox catalysis with low-energy lightCesana et al.ChemNovember 15, 2021In BriefPhotocatalysts convert light into potent reactivity. Here, we report a biohybrid catalyst in which a photosynthetic protein performs broad-spectrum light absorption and subsequent energy transfer to a conjugated photocatalyst, leading to improved yields in test reactions. This strategy has the potential to be generalized for applications in industrial and biological catalysis. Full-Text PDF